Bus trips to cost a bit more

Bus riders will have to fish an extra quarter out of their pockets starting Sunday.

Robert Vitale, The Columbus Dispatch

Bus riders will have to fish an extra quarter out of their pockets starting Sunday.

One-way local and cross-town fares rise from $1.75 to $2 beginning New Yearís Day for Central Ohio Transit Authority passengers. COTA trustees voted in November for the increase thatís expected to generate an extra $3?million annually for the agency.

Express fares also will rise 25 cents, from $2.50 to $2.75.

Although COTA has posted budget surpluses in recent years, President and CEO Bill Lhota has said the fare increase is needed to keep a fair share coming from passengers.

Disabled passengers who had been offered free rides on fixed-route buses must now pay $1. COTA also raised fares for door-to-door service offered to people who qualify under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

About 20 percent of

COTAís money comes from fares. The rest comes from a portion of the Franklin County sales tax.

COTA has expanded service and built its ridership back up to levels it reached in 2001, when financial difficulties led to cutbacks and a 2006 voter-approved tax increase.

Because of another change the agency is implementing on Sunday, Ohio State University students will have to swipe their student-identification cards at the fare box when they ride buses.

OSU students pay $9 per quarter for unlimited rides. Former students have long known that a quick flash of an expired BuckID card usually has been good enough to get on board.

COTA officials say thatís not the reason for the policy change, although swiping will alert drivers to expired cards.